There was a crowd peeking at the two ladies that were holding Icecream stuffed pancakes by a messy stall. One was a tall girl in a white shirt and long black trousers, her hair braided and resting on her shoulder. She wore a cap and shades that made it hard to see her face but still one could feel the prestigious aura around her. The other girl was a youthful beauty with short brown hair and a pink aline dress and matching high heels. They leisurely stood by the stall and ate their food in silence while people couldn't get enough of them.
"Princess…"Anna whispered. "You look so stunning! I bet they think you are a movie star."Anna giggled. Myrtle looked up from her plate and stared at the ground. Many shuddered when they saw her move.
"Why don't you try auditioning for one?" Anna suggested.
Myrtle licked the ice cream off her lips and spoke in a low tone. " I will get banished for doing that." Her tone was so calm as if she was talking about something very trivial while Anna froze.
"Banished?! But why? This isn't even a crime."
"It is, for the royalty." Myrtle placed her plate on the stall and signaled the guard who was standing in the crowd.
"Let us leave, We have to bring you to the designer." Said Myrtle and walked out of the crowd while fixing her cap.
Anna had not finished her's and half-heartedly followed Myrtle.
"Princess! But you didn't let me pay for it," She reached her side and spoke in a heartbroken tone.
"Don't worry! I will give you a chance to make it up to me," Myrtle spoke in a secretive tone making Anna shudder.
"You will?" Anna asked.
"I will, and I hope you will help me out at that time."
With those words, she vanished into the crowd leaving Anna in a state of shock.
.......
A woman with blunt black hair took Anna's measurements while she stood and examined her boutique. She was in a state of awe, Myrlt was sitting on the couch looking at the catalogs with interest. Another girl with a ponytail walked up to her.
"Princess, we have new designs for you, WOuld you like to check them?" She asked.
Myrtle moved her gaze from the page she was looking at. "Me?"
"You haven't ordered your gown for the Winter Festival." She replied.
Myrtle blinked with blank eyes, it was as if she had forgotten the fact that she too had to attend the banquet. "Yes," SHe looked away before saying.
"Bring me the new designs...and show them to the Lady as well." Myrtle was referring to Anna.
Anna's ears perked up, she hurriedly made her way towards myrtle and sat on the couch beside her.
"Princess! Can I design my outfit?" She asked with sparkling eyes. Myrtle glanced at her and replied. "I don't see a reason why you can't…"
"Really?!!" She asked in excitement.
Myrtle gave her a nod. Anna couldn't hold herself from hugging Myrtle,
The sun was about to go down as they drove back to the Palace. Myrtle was silent again. Anna thought that they had become friends but as the gates of the Palace drew closer her attitude became more and more rigid.
Anna didn't bother her anymore and they parted their ways silently.
Anna walked back to her room, Her legs were sore and she had a severe headache. She lightly massaged her temple and closed up to her room. Her eyes narrowed when the door of her room came into her view. Maids were standing outside her door.
"Gosh! Why now of all time?" Her stomach rumbled with discomfort. Anna closed up to see what they had to say today but surprisingly when she was a few feet away from them they suddenly bowed and spoke in one voice.
"Welcome back, Lady.Annabelle."
"Eh?" Anna's eye twitched.
"We are your maids, you can order us to do anything, We will try our best to complete your orders" One of them who had a little different uniform spoke clearly.
"My maids? Who sent you?"
"The princess hired us, We are here to serve you." She replied. "What are your orders?"
Anna stood with a blank face trying to make a sense of the situation she was in.
Rumble'...
But before she could say anything there was a loud rumbling sound coming from her stomach. All the eyes looked at Anna's stomach. She felt embarrassed and covered her stomach with her hands.
"LAdy, you should freshen up, we will get you something to eat."
"Hmm...okay," Anna gave them a nod. When they were gone she clicked open the door and walked into the room like usual. But just when she was about to throw herself on the bed she saw Syrus sleeping peacefully on the bed. She almost gasped out loud but she covered her mouth and tiptoed towards him.
'He looks tired…' She pouted,
Syrus's sleeping face was calm and carefree. His hair was messy unlike his well-tended hair all day long. Anna sat by the bed and brushed her finger against his hair gently.
'How odd… I became Cinderella, I never thought someone like him would come into my life.' She thought to herself. She rested her arm on the bed and placed her head on it while tracing her finger against his sharp features.
Her heartbeat slowly fastened and she licked her dried lip. Syrus's eyebrows creased, making Anna realize what she was doing. She jumped backward and grabbed her hand tightly. 'What are you doing? Stop it!' She scolded herself and slowly stood up with guilt. She tiptoed towards the study desk and noticed a small pile of letters. She picked up the pile and flipped through them. The letters were sealed with wax that had the seal of the household it was sent from. She opened one of the letters and read through the lines.
"It's an invitation…"Anna pouted. "But why are they inviting me to a tea party?" The tea party was two days from now. Anna shuffled the envelopes and read all of them and realized that all of them were invitations to small gatherings.